


Give In

by Sparcina, STARSdidathing



Series: How Frostiron Could Have Started [21]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Accidental Exhibitionism, Accidental Voyeurism, Dirty Talk, Feels, Friends to Lovers, Idiots in Love, Light Angst, Loki & Tony Stark Friendship, Loki (Marvel) Feels, Loki (Marvel) Needs a Hug, Lust Potion/Spell, M/M, Masturbation, Miscommunication, Mutual Pining, Not Actually Unrequited Love, Not Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie) Compliant, POV Alternating, Post-Thor: Ragnarok (2017), Sexual Fantasy, Tony Feels, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, Wordcount: 1.000-5.000
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-13
Updated: 2018-10-13
Packaged: 2019-08-01 07:22:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,150
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16280171
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sparcina/pseuds/Sparcina, https://archiveofourown.org/users/STARSdidathing/pseuds/STARSdidathing
Summary: When Loki gets hit by a spell, he needs Tony to bear witness as he strokes himself to completion. Their friendship gets severely tested as long hidden feelings get forced to the surface.





	Give In

**Author's Note:**

> A short, short while ago, Stars and Sparz found themselves quite taken by a prompt on the Frostiron Discord. They started writing the whole thing live before deciding that maybe some planning and a word document would work better. This is the result of that collaboration. We hope you enjoy!

Tony had known that this little plan of his (which consisted mostly in doing whatever his guts told him) might not end well, but he was prepared to deal with whatever big bad chose to come out of the shadows and attack this marvelous space ship they’d found. He would get his hands on the tech because that was what he did best, and he would also make sure that Loki stayed safe, because Loki had precious few friends to cover his back. 

The mage also held Tony’s heart in the palm of his hand, not that Tony planned to ever tell him. 

What he hadn’t expected in all his lack of careful planning was for Loki to be hit with some kind of malicious spell as soon as the two of them stepped into the oval room leading to the command chambers.

At first, he hadn’t realized that Loki had been dosed. It started small, so small that someone else might not have noticed that anything was amiss. But whenever Loki was in a room, he was all Tony could see, so it was with a confused frown that he watched a few beads of sweat roll down Loki’s brow. It wasn’t hot by any stretch of the imagination in the ship, and yet Loki still sweated. At some point, he even started wiping his brow. His leather jacket (of which Tony was fond of for so many reasons) vanished out of thin air, probably to go in one of the god’s pocket dimensions.

“Loki?”

“It’s nothing.”

But then it became more obvious, as in Loki swayed and needed to press a hand to the wall to support himself. When he tripped over a slightly raised bit of floor, Tony reached out and grabbed his friend. Loki grunted and rested far too much weight on him for Tony’s peace of mind; he even slumped forward and let his forehead rest on Tony’s shoulder.

“Loki?” Tony couldn’t keep the worry from his voice. “What’s going on? What’s wrong?”

Loki clenched his teeth. Tony could see his throat work, and had he been any less concerned for the mage, he would have indulged in another fantasy of darting out his tongue and licking over his pulse point.

“Green Eyes?" Strong hands clutched Tony’s shoulders.

“I’m afraid there may be a… spell.”

“A spell?”

Loki nodded. He gave a grunt as if it took effort to pull away from Tony. His gaze was losing its focus and he was grimacing, pulling at the collar of his shirt as if it constrained him somehow. He started fumbling with his clothes, and to Tony’s surprise, concern and delight, tugged off his waistcoat, stripping down to a dark green tunic and leather pants.

Of course, Tony’s mind had to snag on the large bulge that was clearly visible.

 _What the hell?_ he thought, _Loki was **hard**?_

The mage sure didn’t look like he felt good about it; if anything, he looked miserable and desperate. It wasn’t the moment Tony would have picked for his first glimpse of a flushed, aroused Loki, and god knew he’d thought about enough variations to fill an R-rated movie. Still, he wasn’t picky. If not for the fact that Loki’s behaviour was so out of character that it would be wrong to indulge in-

And then it dawned on him: a spell. Loki had as much as said it.

“Loki. Talk to me. What’s happening to you?”

“I’m- I’m…” Loki was panting, chin cast down, both hands fisted into the leather trousers that had spun a great many of Tony’s fantasies. Loki was always handsome, but this unusual aura of uncertainty and desperation tugged at something in Tony’s chest. “I feel so… so…”

The bulge in his trousers was unmistakable, and Loki’s hands kept rubbing his thighs, like he was trying not to cup himself. Tony bit his lip so hard he was surprised he didn’t taste blood.

“It’s fine,” he managed to say somehow, stepping forwards to bridge the distance that _should not_ be between them. “Whatever’s happening, we will-”

A few feet away from Loki, Tony’s body suddenly came into contact with a solid wall. Tony couldn’t see what kept him from reaching for the god, but he could feel it in front of him. Panic flared in Loki’s eyes, and Tony felt it claw into his chest as well.

He slammed a fist on what ought to be the worst-timed forcefield in existence. Loki didn’t jump, but between one second and the next his knuckles turned white.

Tony heard him moan in spite of the wall between them, and the sound, halfway between a whine and a groan, shot straight to his groin.

“What is it that you feel?” he asked in a thick voice, fanning both hands in the air between them. “Tell me what I can do. Tell me how to help you.”

“You… can’t.” Loki shook his head violently, as if to dislodge a thought, or a fantasy (Tony could certainly relate; this was somewhere between a fantasy and a nightmare for him). “This is… It is a spell designed to make one do… to…. to…”

Tony pressed his brow to the wall, willing his expression into something reassuring, soft and comforting. “ _Tell me, Loki_.”

The god threw his head back. All the tendons in his neck stood out, begging for a touch, be it from a hand or teeth; Tony really wanted to use both, and at length. Sure, _he_ hadn’t been affected by the spell, but then he’d been attracted to Loki for a long time. Knowing the interest was one-sided didn’t keep the fire from burning red hot within him. He wanted to help Loki in any way he could. He’d kneel for the mage in a flash if the forcefield wasn’t in the way.

He was so glad he’d activated the nanobots to cover the _entirety_ of his body below the neck, because he would never live it down if his friend knew just how much this was affecting him.

“Loki…”

The god still wouldn’t look at him, and his hands, unless Tony’s imagination was deceiving him, had inched closer to his arousal.

“Loki… Is the spell some kind of… lust thing?”

“Yes.”

Loki sounded so ashamed that Tony immediately wanted to wrap his arms around the god to reassure him. But there was that fucking wall between them… Today and every other day, because Loki didn’t see him like that, didn’t want him in any fashion that would appease Tony’s heart or mind at night. 

“It’s ok,” he said slowly, unconsciously running his right hand in a soothing circle on the invisible wall. “Tell me how to help you, and I will.”

Loki let out a gasp, but there was no pleasure in it, only pain. 

Tony frowned in concern. His thoughts whirred. “Do you have to do something about it?” he asked, heart pounding fast and hard in what felt like a shrunken ribcage. “Do you have to find release? Is that why it hurt?”

Loki still wouldn’t look at him.

“Loki, talk to me. Please.”

“I...” When the god’s right hand moved to his groin and cupped his erection through his trousers, Tony thought that his mind would fry. “This is so… I should not… should not be so w-weak…”

He began to unlace his trousers, slowly, painfully slowly. “But you are right, this is… I have to… achieve orgasm, and I need… the spell is so designed that- _ah_ , Norns- that some-someone else has to…”

A single tear trailed down his cheek. 

“Hey, Green Eyes, listen to me, okay?” Tony forced all the conviction he felt into his voice. “You are _not_ weak. This spell demands that you continue doing what you’re doing, and that someone bears witness. There’s nothing to be ashamed of, okay?”

“If I wasn’t weak…” Loki’s hands were shaking, but the god still managed to pull down his trousers a few inches to free his erection. It was large and thick, alabaster white. Precum glistened at the tip. “I should be able to- fight, _ah_ …”

Tony tried not to look. He really did. But Loki’s right hand wrapped instantly around the base, giving the throbbing length slow, hard strokes. Every single motion felt so urgent, so essential, that Tony felt his face grow warm. In his undersuit, his own cock throbbed in sympathy. 

He ignored his arousal and sought out Loki’s eyes. Their gazes met, and Tony felt a teeny-tiny pang of relief at knowing that the god was probably too caught up in lust to wonder why Tony’s pupils were dilated, too.

“I’m not going anywhere, Green Eyes. I’m staying right here with you.”

Loki whined as his cock jerked in his hand. Tony wanted to wipe that shame away. The red tainting _his god’s_ cheeks should be from arousal and pleasure alone. _Never be ashamed of your needs, never be ashamed of what you feel and how you look_ , he wanted to say. That was what he should say, what he should do. 

Those weren’t the words that rolled off his tongue next.

“Fuck, Loki.” He inhaled sharply. Where had all the air gone all of a sudden? “You’re so gorgeous like that, touching yourself.”

More precum trailed down the tip of Loki’s cock. The god growled; it sounded strained, self-depreciative.

“You don’t- don’t have to say anything. I know- I know how I look- I just- If you- _ah, ah, ah_ … Anthony…”

If Tony could have shattered that forcefield, he would have. Would have reached for Loki’s face and kissed him senseless until the god understood that he was liked, that he was _loved_. When Loki would start to relax in his arms, Tony would mouth at his throat, and then lower, at his collarbones, working his way towards the taut belly displayed under the artificial light of the room, all sharp lines and lean curves that should be worshiped. He would kneel for Loki, wrap his lips around the most enticing cock he’d ever seen and work at it until Loki spilled himself on his tongue, filling his mouth with his taste, and Tony would savour it, would-

“I have a theory,” he said, banishing all those thoughts that might have been relevant when he was alone in bed or in the shower, but a tad inappropriate when his friend was in distress and did _not_ want to be seen like this. “Is there a specific… length of time you have to touch yourself before you come?”

Loki shook his head. He looked utterly debauched with all that long hair sticking to his brow and cheeks, his dark pupils completely dilated and his lips parted, crimson red from being bitten (oh, how Tony wished he'd been the one to suck at them, bite them). 

“N-No.”

“Then let me help you finish up faster.”

Loki’s eyes widened slightly. The blush on his cheeks had spread to his throat, and it took some effort for Tony to arrange his thoughts into something that was _not_ sexual.

“You like to listen to my voice, right? When you can’t sleep sometimes, and you come down to the workshop so that I can sing you another science-oriented lullaby?”

Those green eyes were so dark they were almost black, and Tony was drowning in them. “Would it help,” he cleared his throat, “to, you know, if I continued to talk?”

“Talk?” Loki gasped. “Talk how-”

“You make the prettiest sounds when you’re aroused, Green Eyes,” Tony crooned, licking his lips on purpose. ( _Go all in or go home, you coward_ ). “You’re so, so fucking beautiful.”

Did he feel awkward because Loki's hand on his cock seemed to speed up at those words? Yes, a thousand times yes. Could he halt the flow of praise and yearning that begged to roll off his tongue next?

Not at all.

Loki, after all, was the most beautiful thing, the who and the what and the how and the why that suddenly made everything click in Tony’s head. His heart pounded fiercely in his chest, in time to Loki’s strokes, so fast he could hear panting, moaning, and know that it was not only Loki’s.

Tony’s teeth tugged over his lips. "You can do this, Loki. God, I can tell how close you are already. Just- Yes, just like that. You like to squeeze the head? The glans is such a sensitive place for me too. I touch it just like you, tease the slit and… yes, the underside… Feels nice to rub at the skin there, right? When my other hand is free, I reach for my balls, _fuck_ , like that, exactly like that, and I caress myself while I picture a hot mouth there instead, gently sucking on them…”

On the other side of the forcefield, Loki’s mind was spinning. He’d been under the influence of such a spell once before, and he remembered only how helpless he’d felt then. He’d never been able to forget, because he’d been alone for so long, touching himself until all that sensitive skin was raw, without someone else to bear witness for the longest time. He’d cried in relief when someone had walked into the cave where he’d been trapped. He hadn’t known them, but it hadn’t mattered; he’d come so hard, his bleeding cock in one hand and two of his fingers up his aching hole, that the pain had faded away. The stranger had borne witness. 

Anthony was no stranger, however. The witty (handsome, _perfect_ ) mortal was his friend, and when Loki couldn’t control his subconscious anymore, also a lover and a partner. He’d come to like Anthony beyond the bounds of friendship, and if his heart ached daily because he knew that Anthony didn’t return his feelings, there was nothing he could do to change it. He’d fallen in love with the most amazing creature in all the nine realms and he was forced to see him age, to see him enjoy others when with one word, he could be in Loki’s bed, treated like the prince Loki had never been.

It was why it was agony to stand there masturbating. Anthony had made it his moral duty to stay, look and help him. Loki’s balls tightened as the mortal’s voice took on a rough edge, as that magic voice told him how beautiful he was. Loki knew he wasn’t beautiful, but when Tony said it, _lied for his sake_ , he almost believed the words. He drank them in like his heart had been parched for it, and cried out again as a fresh wave of arousal threatened to bring him under. He was getting close, and with Anthony’s eyes on him, he knew that one orgasm would be enough to break the spell.

Because it was Anthony. 

“A-Anthony…”

“You’re doing so well, baby, _fuck_ I- Make another one of those pretty noises for me, will you?”

A gasp was torn out of Loki’s throat. Even knowing that it was false, that every word of desire from the mortal was no more than friendly help, he obeyed every suggestion as eagerly as he’d ever done anything.

“I wish…” He tried to keep the words in, but tears were trailing freely down his cheeks now. Would Anthony ever speak to him after this? “I wish…” His breath caught. He felt torn between arousal and misery, and his chest felt twisted in all the wrong ways. “I wish it was your hand,” he whimpered at last, anticipating the worse. 

“I wish it was my mouth,” Anthony, incredibly, said in return.

Loki began to pump his cock faster, eyes trained on the feet of Anthony’s beautiful suit. Tremors ran up his legs. If he could just-

“If I was any closer, baby, I would be fucking you.”

When Loki came, it was in silence. He knew Anthony watched his face but Loki’s eyes were closed as his world came crashing down around him. He couldn’t bear to see Anthony’s relief that it was finally over, couldn’t bear to see the shame reflected in those piercing brown eyes, couldn’t _live_ with the knowledge that Anthony would never look at him again like a friend, like someone worthy, because Loki had been too weak _again_.

With hands that shook from both anger and nerves, he fastened his trousers and magicked his other clothes back on himself as soon as he’d gotten rid of his seed. If he’d been alone, he would have rubbed his wrist clean until it was raw. Anthony’s eyes burned him. He felt as if all his secrets had been laid bare. Loki, god of Lies & Mischief, unable to obscure a thing. The Norns must surely be mocking him. 

Anthony broke the tense silence. “Is the spell broken?”

Loki felt fresh shame creep up his neck. “Yes."

"Right, okay.” Anthony’s voice was strained, discomforted. “So, uh-"

“You can leave now." Loki gestured jerkily at the command chambers and the technology Anthony sought. He knew the mortal must be wishing to get as far away from him as possible. After all, Anthony had done his best to help him finish faster, to no longer have to watch his friend’s need and arousal.

Eyes trained on the floor, he took a few steps back, hoping that Anthony would be distracted long enough by the new technology for him to gather his wits and the remnants of his heart.

Loki’s cold dismissal hit Tony like a freight train. His blood was still singing with arousal and the memories of those sinful moans. The god’s expression as he climaxed, lips parted and jaw clenched, had made Tony’s erection strain against the suit. He’d wanted to peel off his armour and stroke himself off. He’d wanted to get his hands on Loki and do everything he’d promised.

Unfortunately, the god didn’t need him anymore and the truth of _that_ was like a bucket of ice water. The forcefield had disappeared the moment Loki orgasmed, but the tense silence had kept Tony rooted to the spot.

He was glad he hadn’t moved, for Loki’s quick retreat had proven how much Tony’s touch would have been unwanted.

Loki had to know the truth now. Tony’s heart sank and his face paled as he played those words, _you can leave now_ , again and again in his head. His desire had been obvious, hadn’t it? He’d verbalised it as he’d watched his friend jerk himself off and he hadn’t even been the one hit by a spell! Loki had felt shameful and weak because of the needs of a spell. _Tony_ had found Loki beautiful and complimented him in that context.

God, he was such a shitty friend.

It was no wonder Loki couldn’t stand the sight of him. The guilt and regret were crippling, as they very well should be. He’d fucked up big time. _Again._

Tony turned around without a word, walking into the next room with his head lowered and his shoulders hunched. His cock had completely softened by then. Any joy he might have felt about exploring a ship with Loki was gone. He’d wrecked everything, all because he couldn’t keep his attraction for Loki a secret.

His stomach churned with shame.

They didn’t say another word to each other as they searched the various rooms of the craft. When they returned to the Revengers ship at last, Loki teleported away without a single word. 

Tony closed his eyes, feeling his heart crack.

* * *

Loki avoided him in the days that followed and Tony couldn’t bring himself to seek out the mage either. He was too nervous, too afraid. The few times he considered seeking him out to talk, he couldn’t go through with it. He was as much a coward as he was a fool, it seemed.

Being a creature of habits, he locked himself in the lab, where he vaguely attempted to make _something_ out of the alien parts he’d collected on the ship. He’d been looking forward to this moment with such glee; how he would take the tech apart and put it back together again because that was what he did; how Loki would lounge on his favourite bench with one of his spell books and comment at times on something Tony wasn’t even sure he’d said aloud. How they would, with two minds, be a perfect whole in his favourite environment.

Instead, his mind kept returning to _the_ scene; Loki’s flushed skin, his pants and groans and the mouth-watering sight that was his hand caressing himself. He woke from more than a few dreams where the forcefield hadn’t separated them, where he’d gone through every fantasy in his list and brought Loki to hundreds of orgasms. And when his mind wasn’t torturing him with lust, it was slamming him with the guilt and the pain of knowing he’d lost the best thing to ever happen to him.

He didn’t know how to atone or if Loki even wanted him to try, so he just sat in his lab, tinkering with alien tech but unable to summon up the enthusiasm to really accomplish anything. 

On the fifth day after everything had gone wrong, Tony was staring blankly at what he thought was an interstellar GPS. His mind was miles away, navigating between all the ways he could have handled Loki’s forced orgasm better, considering all the things he could have done to keep Loki’s friendship instead of making an ass of himself.

Tony Stark, ass extraordinaire. 

He dropped that freaking GPS and hid his face in his hands. How long had it been since he’d slept? Forty-eight hours? Seventy-two? He’d flipped the bird at the ship’s interface when he’d been threatened with being kicked out of his own lab. He’d built the thing and brought the room up from a tiny, empty storage space to its current glory; he could have his breakdown in it if he so wished, damn it. Anyway, it wasn’t as though the Revengers didn’t already think that he was eccentric and ‘in love’ with his lab. Hah. If only his lab held his heart. He’d already given it away to someone who was far less likely to enjoy his affections.

He groaned into his hands.

The sound was so loud that he didn’t notice the lab’s door opening, but he _did_ hear Loki’s curt voice tell the ship’s interface, “Lock down the lab.”

Tony stiffened as the standard beep and swoosh followed Loki’s command, locking the lab from the outside. Loki had obviously decided they needed to clear the air… or maybe he just wanted to punch Tony without witnesses (Thor would probably want to be part of the cheering crowd, though…. Well, if Loki told him what happened. In that case, Thor might just kick Tony off the ship for taking advantage of his baby brother. Tony probably deserved to be jettisoned). Tony couldn’t argue with either of the outcomes. He deserved them, and worse.

Loki didn’t come any closer, but Tony’s body felt overly aware of the mage. He was so close and yet, Tony felt like they’d never been more apart. 

The silence couldn’t have lasted more than a minute.

"Are you able to overcome this, Tony?" Loki asked wearily.

 _Overcome it._ Tony felt like he’d just been gutted. How the hell was he meant to do that? Did Loki think it was just lust? Or did he know it was more and was still hoping Tony could sweep it under the rug like it was an inconvenience? They did live on the same ship and they often fought together. If Thor didn’t throw him off, they’d have to work out a way to be in the same room without all that… tension. They used to do so much more before Tony had allowed himself to give in, before he’d become one more shitty friend to Loki. 

He dropped his hands and let out a bitter laugh. That awful piece of tech alone saw the full force of his grimace. "It’s not exactly easy to overcome, Loki.”

"I... see."

Tony’s eyes fell closed. He’d known Loki didn’t want him; it had been painfully obvious from the start, but any lingering hope he might have held was snuffed out. 

_Fucking hell, stop your pity party. He’s actually giving you a chance. You can stay. You can **overcome** it. You can fix things. You’re good at that, so **fix this** , you moron._

He ran his hands over his face, trying to wipe the dejection away. _Overcome it_. That wasn’t going to be easy. But pretending it wasn’t there? He’d done it before, he could do it again. He might even get so good at denial that he might forget why he’d fallen in love with Loki in the first place.

As if. 

"Look. I can... I can try, but, shit, Loki. I'm going to need some time."

He hoped Loki could understand that…

… and Loki did, although it pained him to admit it.

Loki had been restless for days. He’d yearned to go find the mortal in his lab and mend things with him. When he’d learnt of Anthony’s seclusion, he’d wanted to barge in and make sure the man took care of himself.

But it wasn’t his place anymore, was it? He might have once intervened and pulled Anthony away from the lab for a meal and a rest, but after what had transpired between them, he was the last person Tony would want to see. 

His shame, his weakness, had ruined them.

"I understand, really.” His voice was hollow. "But believe me, Anthony. I would take it back if I could.” Anthony flinched, likely at the reminder of Loki’s arousal building with every word from his own lips. “You helped me. You… You went beyond the bounds of friendship.” He fidgeted with the sleeves of his tunic. “You were the true friend I could not be.” Saying it aloud made shame coil, hot and sharp in his chest. Anthony couldn’t have missed the way Loki’s arousal was heightened by him. His whispers had caused Loki to moan, and to admit matching desires and affections to Anthony. But where the mortal’s had been false, his had been entirely real, and both completely unwanted.

It was no wonder Anthony was uncomfortable. His former enemy lusted after his body. His friend had fallen in love with him. Loki had always known he wasn’t good enough for Anthony, yet somehow they’d become friends despite it all.

And now he was desperate to regain that friendship. It was why he was here and asking that Anthony believe him - begging that Anthony would trust him. He would _not_ overstep the bounds of their relationship ever again. He would not ruin what they _did_ share. Norns, Loki would give anything to have Anthony’s companionship again. To be able to come down to the lab just to be close to him, and fall asleep so easily with Anthony’s voice as his lullaby.

At least Anthony had let him talk. It was why he chose honesty over half-truths or denial. He could remove his many masks and bare his unwanted heart if it allowed him to win back what he’d lost.

“I never wanted my interest to discomfort you,” he said hastily, heart pounding. “I should never…” 

He trailed off. Anthony was looking up at him, eyes wide and full of wonder. It made the hope inside Loki swell.

“You _what?_ ”

Tony had gone still at Loki’s words. He wasn’t breathing, and who could blame him? He looked up at Loki, not trying to hide any of his surprise, or his hope. The mage was standing stiff and tall, his head tilted to display confidence. He also had bags under his eyes like he hadn’t been sleeping well, and really, Tony doubted he looked any better.

He also couldn’t believe what Loki had said. Maybe he’d imagined it? No, he wasn’t that sleep deprived just yet. Still, he needed to know he wasn’t misinterpreting. He couldn’t fuck this up. Just to be safe...

“I’m sorry?”

A tentative smile played on Tony’s lips; Loki always looked so cute when he was frowning in confusion, even now. Even when so much was at stake. 

“What did you say just now?”

Confusion led way to embarrassment. “I never meant to have you involved,” Loki said quickly, his words almost running together. “I never meant to-”

"No, no.” _Oh fuck it_. “The fact you're interested in me _too_. Let's focus on _that_.”

It was Loki’s turn to have shock paint his face. “You…”

"… thought you were disgusted that I found you hot as fuck and wanted to break that forcefield so badly? God, Loki, I would have given anything to be able to kiss and touch you," Tony rushed out, unable to keep it in.

“You meant it,” Loki whispered, eyes widening in awe. “You weren’t just being kind?”

Tony felt elation bubbling up in his chest. “I've wanted to get you in bed for _months_ , Green Eyes. I’ve wanted to be more than your friend for just as long."

When Loki laughed, it was sudden and jarring in the quiet stillness of the lab. His footsteps were just as loud as he stepped up to Tony and cupped his jaw. Tony’s hands came up instantly, finally, _finally_ touching Loki by wrapping around his wrist.

"I thought you were uncomfortable,” Loki said, leaning close enough for their noses to brush. “I was so sure that you’d been forced into an unpalatable situation and witnessing my weakness.” He closed his eyes, breathing more easily for the first time in days. “You realised I loved your voice; surely you realised my attraction and affection for you as well?”

Tony shook his head, still wonderfully shocked. "I missed it entirely. I was so sure you wanted me gone after you worked out everything I said was real… Fuck,” he pressed his forehead to Loki’s. “I wish I hadn’t been so blind. I wish… I wish I’d given in the urge to touch you earlier."

Loki’s lips ghosted over his. “Give in now, Anthony. My brilliant, stunning mortal…”

“All yours, Loki.”

He barely moved; he just had to tilt his head the last of the way to slot their mouths together like he’d been dreaming about for months.

Loki responded in a heartbeat, and the kiss was filled with sharp relief, pent-up yearning and intense affection. It was a promise that said more than words could and erased a thousand misunderstandings.

Their attraction was amazingly, _blissfully_ mutual, and Tony had never felt happier than he did right here. He would be horrified at how unobservant he’d been later, and bemoan at length all the time that they’d lost, but for now, he was willfully ignoring anything but the god in his arms, who was rapidly melting into his embrace.


End file.
